Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

Friday, March 26, 2010

(And Why Should He?)

GOP candidates selling perceived strengths

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Five Republicans are running for the U.S. Senate in Indiana because they believe voters want a change.

Dan Coats and Marvin Stutsmann may be the leading candidates in the race for the GOP nomination. Stutsmann is selling a fresh approach. Coats is selling experience.

Coats, a former senator and former ambassador to Germany, campaigned with former White House drug czar Bill Bennett, who tried to dispel questions about Coats being a conservative.

"Dan was conservative before it was cool to be conservative," Bennett told reporters. "In fact, before some of the people asking those questions were born."

It's the sort of thing that causes state Senator Marvin Stutsmann to label Coats a Washington candidate.

"You know, we're not Washington DC, but we're not inexperienced either," said Stutsmann.

He says voters don't want someone who's been there before.

"I think they're looking forward," he said. "I think they're looking to the future and who can lead best and who has the fire in the belly and the willingness to go out and work hard every day."

And so Bennett and Coats play up the need to understand Washington in order to take on the Obama administration and policies they deem liberal.

"We need judgment and experience," says Bennett.

"Well, they can label me whatever they want," said Coats. "But I proudly served this country and this state as a Hoosier and this country as a Hoosier for a number of years and that job is in Washington and I lived in Washington."

It's an admission that there's no getting away from the Washington label. But being a Washington candidate has advantages, too. For Coats, it means better name ID and a fundraising advantage.

That's the main reason why Bill Bennett attended a Coats fundraiser in Carmel last night.

Indiana Congressman will appear live via video from Washington, D.C.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, will serve as the featured speaker Wednesday night in Iowa City when state and college Republicans host a rally on the eve of a scheduled visit by President Barack Obama.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

The rally, dubbed “Stand Up for Freedom,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the University of Iowa campus and also features the four individuals engaged in a GOP primary for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. While other scheduled guests will appear in person, Pence, considered by many to have 2012 presidential aspirations, will appear via Skype from Washington, D.C.

“I’m proud to have Congressman Pence standing with Iowans tonight and standing up against the continued assault on our personal and economic freedoms from the Obama administration and Iowa’s congressional Democrats,” said Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa.

On Tuesday, Pence promised that the “fight is not over” and that “House Republicans are determined to take our case on this government takeover of health care to the floor of the Congress and to the American people.”

Pence also promised that, should there be a Republican majority in Congress following the 2010 elections, that he and his colleagues would work to repeal the legislation.

Prior to members of the passage of the health care reform legislation, Pence appeared on FOX News to blast the bill and Obama as pro-abortion.

“It’s disappointing to see member of Congress exchange 30 years of pro-life law for a piece of paper from the most pro-abortion president in American history, but we are going to stay in this fight” Pence said. “We really believe the American public knows now that there is public funding for abortion in this bill.”

Obama and anti-abortion House Democrats, led by Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, struck a deal that included an executive order that would continue the status quo in relation abortion services, which has been historically managed by the Hyde Amendment. According to Pence, however, the executive order is a piece of paper that holds no promise because it can be legally challenged and overturned by the court.

Local Republicans are billing the rally as a preemptive strike to Obama’s scheduled visit to the University of Iowa on Thursday. Dane Nealson, chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, announced Tuesday on Twitter that “President Obama is becoming the biggest recruiting [t]ool” the University of Iowa College Republicans have ever had. The organization has been particularly engaged in promoting and hosting the rally.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence set a clear task before Republicans Wednesday night in Iowa City: “Give the president and Obamacare the kind of welcome that it is going to deserve across the country.”

The Indiana Republican, who is believed to be a 2012 presidential contender, said that if Iowans fulfill their task that he guarantees that the rest of the nation will follow suit.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

“I don’t think there is any mistake that the president has chosen Iowa City in your fair state to start making his case for this government take-over of health care to the American people,” said Pence, who spoke via the Internet to roughly 150 people gathered for rally on the campus of the University of Iowa. “Iowa is use to leading the nation. … It is time for the people of Iowa who believe in conservative values, who believe in limited government and who believe we can do better on health care reform to lead this nation again.”

In less than 10 minutes of public remarks, Pence referred to recently passed health care reform legislation as Obamacare eight times and as a “government take-over” seven times. He also noted, no less than four times, that he and other Republicans in the U.S. House are determined to repeal the bill and begin the process anew.

“It was in the dead of the night on Sunday that Democrats in Congress and in this administration rammed through a government take-over of health care filled with individual mandates, job-killing taxes and a government-run insurance plan,” he said. “Some say we made history on Sunday night. Well, I said on the House floor that I think we broke history because we broke with our traditions of limited government, personal responsibility and the consent of the governed. The majority that will break these traditions is a majority that should be retired from Capitol Hill.”

Pence promised that if the bill was repealed and Congress — presumably with a Republican majority following the 2010 elections — was allowed to write a new bill that it would cut the cost of health insurance without growing government, provide “real malpractice reform” and use the savings to provide insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and provide the type of reform “necessary to ensure the long-term solvency of our country and all the programs that are vital to those most vulnerable.” He did not indicate why such reforms were not proposed or debated when the Republican Party previously controlled Congress.

Former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats said he is running for Senate because of President Obama. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image

Ask Dan Coats why he decided to come out of political retirement to seek the Indiana Senate seat he vacated in 1998 and he offers just two words: "Barack Obama".

"What I saw him doing went against everything I have ever believed, everything I have ever stood for," Coats said in an interview with the Fix earlier this week. "I saw this country in a tailspin under this agenda."

That Coats, a Republican who held a seat in the Senate from 1989 to 1998, would so explicitly run against Obama speaks to the drastic shift in the political winds since the President carried the Hoosier State in 2008. (Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Indiana since Lyndon B. Johnson.)

"He carried [the state] based on this hope and change promise," said Coats. "He carried [it] not on the basis of what he has done the past year."

Coats' surprise entrance in the race -- he decided to run in early February -- against Sen. Evan Bayh (D) was cast by national Republicans as evidence that the favorable national political environment was putting races in play that no one thought might be competitive.

Coats acknowledged that he got off to a less-than-ideal start, largely due to the fact that he never thought he would be running again for public office. "I wouldn't have said that" if he had been planning a return bid, Coats said of his North Carolina comment. "But I did."

Coats insisted, however, that the charges of nefariousness in his lobbying work (and clients) was entirely off base and boomeranged against the Democrats who made them. "I don't apologize for that," Coats said of his lobbying work. "What they have thrown at me is factually wrong."

Assuming Coats is the Republican nominee -- and he faces a primary fight on May with, among others, former Rep. John Hostettler -- he will work to frame the general election between himself and Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) in the national political context while Ellsworth will almost certainly try to make the race more local.

That push-pull is present in a number of contested Senate races -- including in places like Colorado, Arkansas and Nevada among others -- where Democratic incumbents are trying to run narrow-bore races focused on themselves and not the national party and their Republican opponents are hoping to turn the contests into a referendum on Democrats in Washington broadly.

"People are distraught over what has happened in Washington," said Coats of the mood in his home state -- adding that he never before seen close to the amount of "anger, fear and engagement" in the electorate at large. "People feel like they were sold a bill of goods," he said.

How much -- and how quickly has the political face of Indiana changed since 2008? Coats is placing a big bet that the change is drastic and that running explicitly against Obama will pay electoral dividends. Democrats have to hope he is wrong.

Ex-senator wants to reenter the ring

BY CAL THOMAS

Given the toxic nature of Washington -- and especially after the crushing defeat of Republicans by the congressional Democrat majority -- why would anyone want to be part of this, especially one who has been there before?

It is the first question I put to Dan Coats, a Republican from Indiana, who is running for his old Senate seat. Coats served four terms in the House and almost two in the Senate (he took Dan Quayle's seat in 1989 when Quayle became vice president) before voluntarily retiring to a comfortable private life.

``I deliberately avoided stopping at a psychiatrist's office on the way to making this decision,'' he tells me over breakfast at an Arlington, Va., diner. Coats, who must first defeat four opponents in the Republican primary on May 4, says he is motivated to run after ``watching for a year with increasing frustration and anger what is happening to our country and saying, `Do I want to go quietly into the night and enjoy the fruits of my labors or do I want to throw myself back in and see if I can do something about it?' ''

Coats thinks America is ``sliding into mediocrity,'' and we are losing the values that inspired ``The Greatest Generation.'' He describes the familiar conservative litany: ``Limited government, lower taxes, a balanced budget, strong defense.''

I asked him if that were practical, and he answered No, though he thinks reasserting those principles is necessary if America is to survive as a free and strong nation.

What does he think recommends him to Indiana voters, and what would he do differently this time, if elected?

``I think the greatest thing going for me is age and experience, because at a certain point in life you stop thinking about your career and start thinking about what can you leave for the next generation and my country. It's not about positioning yourself with a vote. It's about going (to Washington) and doing what you know is the right thing to do.''

Didn't Coats and his fellow Republicans have the opportunity to do the right thing when they were in power in the recent past, but in the minds of many conservatives, blew it? He acknowledges as much and believes that conservative Republicans have learned their lesson.

What does that mean? Would he, for example, work to repeal the healthcare law?

``Absolutely. I would do everything I could to turn around this liberal-socialist agenda that Pelosi and Reid are imposing on the American people. If nominated and elected, I will have the backing of the people of Indiana to go to Washington and turn things around structurally and reform entitlement programs. The only way we're going to get at our deficit is to reform entitlement programs. They will all go bankrupt if we don't do something to put them on a better fiscal standing.''

Coats thinks the choices faced by the country are stark and menacing: ``We can either watch our country slide into mediocrity and a socialist European-style nation that cheers when they get 1 percent GDP growth, or we can put our country back to the principles that made us different from every other country in the world.''

Coats wants to counter the stories told by liberal Democrats of gloom and despair with uplifting stories of people who have overcome challenges that he thinks will inspire others. In an age when feeling good is preferred to thinking right, that's a tall order, but there's no reason not to take him at his word. Why else would someone who has been there and done that do it again, unless he's of unsound mind?

Two of the three top Republican hopefuls for the U.S. Senate in Indiana continue to hold double-digit leads over Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth. Ellsworth supported President Obama’s health care plan in a state where opposition to the legislation is higher than it is nationally.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds former Congressman John Hostettler with a 50% to 32% lead over Ellsworth, a current House member who voted with most other Democrats on Sunday to pass the health care plan. The survey was taken last Wednesday and Thursday nights. Fifteen percent (15%) remain undecided in that match-up.

Ex-Senator Dan Coats now posts a 49% to 34% lead over Ellsworth, with 12% undecided.

Ellsworth runs best against the third GOP contender, freshman State Senator Marvin Stutsman. In that match-up, Stutsman leads by just seven points, 41% to 34%. Eighteen percent (18%) are undecided.

Fifteen percent (15%) of Indiana voters have a very favorable opinion of Ellsworth, while 14% view him very unfavorably.

Hostettler is viewed very favorably by 13% and very unfavorably by 10%.

For Coats, who served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, very favorables are 15% and very unfavorables 11%.

Six percent (6%) have a very favorable view of Stutzman, while eight percent (8%) regard him very unfavorably.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Is Notre Dame University Still Confused Over the Politics of Abortion?

by Micah ClarkDirectorAmerican Family Association of Indiana

Even though the US Conference of CatholicBishops was very clear in their oppositionto the health care legislation bill due toits abortion funding provisions, it's clearthat this message didn't seem to have muchof an impact with the former president ofNotre Dame University.

A report in the Los Angeles Times praisingthe influence of House Speaker Nancy Pelositells of her calling Father Theodore Hesburgh,former president of Notre Dame. The Speakerwas not calling for spiritual guidance, butpolitical help for the pro-abortionlegislation. She asked Hesburgh to callIndiana Congressman Joe Donnelly, a Democratfrom South Bend who allegedly had concernsover the abortion issue. The reporterobserving the call and the Speaker's cloutdoes not report on the ND president's response,but notes that Donnelly supported the bill overthe objections of pro-life and Catholic groups.

A year after Notre Dame was criticized forhosting President Obama, the Speaker of theHouse hundreds of miles away, knew so wellwhere the past President of ND stood politically,that she had no hesitation in calling him andasking him to ignore the teachings of his churchin order to do a political power play with alocal legislator. This news story does notreflect well upon the moral teachings of theIndiana college if its past president doesn'teven place them above politics.

The five Republican U.S. Senate candidates will go head-to-head on live TV in Indianapolis on April 20 in a debate sponsored by the Indiana Debate Commission.

The public is invited to submit, and potentially ask, questions of the candidates.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GOP SENATE DEBATE

Indiana residents who would like to ask questions of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates in the April 20 debate may submit them online at www.indianadebatecommission.com by going to the form at the bottom of the page.

Questions also may be submitted in writing by sending them by mail to Indiana Debate Commission, 3909 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208.

A committee of the debate commission will screen all submitted questions and interview potential questioners.

The commission's 13 affiliate groups will be asked to send representatives to ask questions of candidates in a post-debate news conference.

Some area high schools also will be invited to participate in the news conference and watch the debate in a separate screening room at Indianapolis public television station WFYI.

The debate commission's announcement that all five candidates have agreed to participate was accompanied by the news that Indianapolis public television station WFYI will host the one-hour debate at 7 p.m. CDT.

WFYI will make the debate available to any broadcast outlet. An audio feed will be available to radio stations, and the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System will webstream the debate.

The Senate seat is being vacated by Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. Democrats expect to nominate Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., for the seat.

A third opinion poll now shows Hostettler performing better against presumptive Democratic nominee Ellsworth than the other GOP Senate candidates.

A new telephone survey of 500 likely voters conducted by Rasmussen Reports on March 17 and 18 shows Hostettler defeating Ellsworth by a 50 percent to 32 percent margin, with the remainder of voters not sure or supporting other candidates.

Coats defeats Ellsworth by 49 percent to 34 percent, while Stutzman defeats him by 41 percent to 34 percent.

The survey was conducted with a 3.5 percent margin of error.

by Thomas B. Langhorne

A Research 2000 poll conducted late last month for the liberal blog DailyKos.com found Hostettler had the best chance of beating Ellsworth.

The poll, conducted with a 4 percent margin of error, showed Hostettler winning 40 percent of the vote to Ellsworth's 34 percent. Meanwhile, Coats was ahead by a 37 percent to 36 percent margin, a statistical dead heat.

The Indiana Debate Commission is a nonpartisan, statewide group of 13 affiliate organizations promoting debates at the state level.

In 2008, the commission sponsored televised gubernatorial debates at venues in Merrillville, Jasper and Bloomington. The commission reports more than 400 Indiana residents submitted questions to be considered by the candidates.

Father Thomas J. Euteneuer is an exorcist of the Church and President of Human Life International, the worlds largest Pro-Life organization. His new book is titled, "Exorcism and the Church Militant." He has spoken directly to tens of thousands of people all over the world and has appeared numerous times on EWTN and other local, national and international media. Many of you may recall Fr. Tom when he appeared as our guest on "The Dickson/Chappell Report" live in our studios.

Father Gregory Bramlage is a 1996 graduate of Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Emittsburg, MD, and is a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Father Bramlage pastors three parishes and a school. He is the Founder and Director of "Word of God" Prayer Ministry, which offers healing and deliverance as well as conferences and training. Every third Wednesday at 6:00 PM, he leads a healing prayer service at St. Nicholas Parish Sunman, IN.

Deacon Ralph Poyo has been in ministry for over 20 years, serving as a youth minister, catechist, and a deacon. A popular conference speaker, Deacon Poyo has a B.A. in Scripture and did graduate work in the field of Pastoral Ministry. He is Founder of a new ministry called "New Evangelization Ministries.

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapelat the Franciscan University of Steubenville

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

We only have a few more weeks until the Sacred Triduum when we will enter into the mystery of Our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection.

In preparation for the Resurrection, we have some good news PASCHA JAVA IS BACK!

Pascha Java - also known in the Christmas Season as "Jingle Bell Java" - is arguably our best flavor, with hints ofwhite chocolate, festive spices and bourbon, which you are sure to enjoy. Even if you don't normally drink flavored coffee, I invite you to try the Pascha Java - you might just change your mind!

Pascha Java will be available only until the end of the Easter season, and will not be available as a selection for the coffee club, so I would suggest you take advantage of the opportunity and order some now! Get it by clicking on the Mystic Monk Coffee Icon.

On a more personal note, I was ordained a Deacon along with my brother in Religion, Rev. Br. Joseph Marie on the 6th of this month. We are currently finishing our priestly studies, and God Willing, will be ordained sometime in the Fall. Your support of our monastery has been a wonderful blessing for us.

Please continue to pray for me, Rev. Br. Joseph Marie, and all of my good brothers. Be assured of our humble prayers for all of you.

May God Bless you!

Rev. Br. Michael MaryMystic Monk Coffee

P.S.

If flavored coffees are not for you, why not try our Ethiopian Coffee? It's one of my favorites.

Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

In 1995, Senator Dan Coats introduced a package of legislative proposals to help empower local, community-based institutions that were addressing social problems. Crafted with the help of Bill Bennett, a co-director of Empower America, the "Project for American Renewal," comprised 19 separate bills designed to use public policy - and public resources - to energize mainly private efforts to meet human needs. They included:

The Mentor Schools Act, to provide grants of $1 million to school districts to develop “same gender” schools.

The Role Model Academy Act, to establish an innovative residential academy for at-risk youth.

The Kinship Care Act, to create a $30 million demonstration program for states to use adult relatives as the preferred placement option for children separated from their parents.

The Restitution and Responsibility Act, to provide grants to states for programs to make restitution to victims of crime.

The Assets for Independence Act, to create a four-year, $100 million demonstration program to establish 50,000 Individual Development Accounts, to be used for the purchase of home, college education or small business.

The Community Partnership Act, to institute demonstration grants for programs to match communities of faith with welfare recipients and nonviolent criminal offenders.

This is certainly a far cry from the types of legislation being introduced in Washington, D.C. today under Pelosi, Reid and Obama! America needs Dan Coats!

Like you, over the past year I have grown increasinglyfrustrated and alarmed by the dangerous path theDemocrats are taking us down.This national emergencyis something I've never seen before and never thoughtwould happen to America.

President Obama and his allies in Congress have thewrong priorities and are forcing an extreme left liberalagenda on the country. I share your deep concern aboutwhat's happening to our country and the legacy we'regoing to leave for our children and our grandchildrenif we don't stand up now and fight back hard. That'swhy I'm running for the United States Senate.

But I cannot do it alone; I need your support and amasking you to join me for a fund raiser with specialguest

If you are unable to attend, but would like tosupport my campaign and receive updates, pleasevisit my website at www.coatsforindiana.com.

Getting our country back on track and gettingHoosiers back to work will take more than just saying"NO!" to what the Democrats are doing; although it isnever wrong to say no to a bad idea. We also need toexplain how we would fix things when we earn thatleadership role again.

This year, we will give voters a choice between thenew status quo of runaway spending and skyrocketingdebt on one hand -- and someone committed to makingthe difficult decisions necessary to stop thebleeding and set a course for recovery from thisextreme liberalism.

I ask for your support. If we work together, weprevail. Bill Bennett and I look forward to seeingyou on Wednesday, March 24 in Carmel!

Thank you,

Dan Coats

P.S.

Please visit my website at www.coatsforindiana.comto sign up for updates and to learn more about myreception with special guest Dr. Bill Bennett onMarch 24th.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks' great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Brother Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Brother Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy - with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret coffee continues to keep minks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shared the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are Passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Brother Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

To Order Direct:simply click on theMystic Monk Iconat theTop Right of this page.

Please remember that the Portiuncula Hermitage tithes ten percent of all their Mystic Monk Coffee sales to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion).

"If we fail to act, our children will be lessfree, less prosperous, and less secure. It'stime for a Spending Limit Amendment to theConstitution of the United States."

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence,Chairman of the House Republican Conference,gave the following statement today on the floorof the U.S. House of Representatives on hisproposed Spending Limit Amendment to theConstitution:

"Federal spending is out of control, and theAmerican people know it. Our nation is facinga fiscal crisis of epic proportions. In thepast five years, federal spending has climbedfrom an historic average of 20 percent of theAmerican economy to nearly 25 percent today,and it's rising. According to the CongressionalBudget Office, the first five months of thisfiscal year the federal government ran adeficit of $655 billion, keeping the countryon track for a record $1.6 trillion deficitthis year.

"After years of trying to rein in federalspending under Republican and Democratadministrations, the American people wantfiscal discipline and they want new ideas.That's why Congressmen Jeb Hensarling, JohnCampbell, and myself introduced the SpendingLimit Amendment to the Constitution of theUnited States. Under our amendment, absent adeclaration of war and a two-thirds vote inthe Congress, Congress would be required toadhere to its historic percentage of theeconomy.

"For the last 60 years we've only taken 20cents on the American dollar out of this economy.It's time we put that limit in the Constitutionof the United States. If we fail to act, ourchildren will be less free, less prosperous,and less secure. It's time for a Spending LimitAmendment to the Constitution of the UnitedStates."

Congressman Mike Pence participated in the 2010 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, which took place from March 5—7 with stops in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. This year marks the 45th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the most pivotal events of the civil rights movement. Congressman Pence joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) in serving as honorary co-leaders and Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL) and Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) were the honorary co-hosts. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) served once again as the Pilgrimage Chairman.

Saturday morning, U.S. Senate candidate Dan Coatsjoined four other Republicans vying for theirparty's nomination at a forum in Warsaw, Indiana.As Coats' opponents attacked each other throughoutthe event, he remained calm and focused on issuesimportant to Hoosiers during this critical periodin our history.

Fox News' Steve Brown: "Through it all...Coats kepthis cool. He talked about his faith. He talked aboutfreedom. He talked about eliminating federal'earmarks'. He talked about abolishing the USDepartment of Education. All met with approval ofthe Tea Partiers gathered." Brown added,"Afterwards...Coats told Fox News he was ready totalk to Hoosiers anywhere in the state...and thatincludes Tea Party folks."(Fox News, Facing the Tea Party, 3/6/10)

Journal Gazette's Angela Mapes Turner: "A calmCoats...told the crowd he believes his timeserving in the Army, in Congress and as anambassador - all during times of war - sets himapart. Most importantly, he said, the GOP needsto be united in its efforts. 'It's never wrongto say no to a bad idea,' he said. 'We have to comeforward with constructive solutions.'"(Journal Gazette, GOP Hopefuls Ramp Up Rhetoric in Debate, 3/7/10)

"A pattern has emerged in Dan's appearances before voters - a clear command of the issues facing our Nation today. On the economy, jobs, health care and national security - Dan Coats is the one candidate able to channel our frustrations into plans foraction and the ability to implement common-sense Hoosier values to fix our Nation's problems from Day One," said press secretary Pete Seat.

Former State Representative & former U.S. Senate candidate Dan Dumezich: "Dan Coats will be preparedto answer the call of duty in this time of need. I'mcertain that he is the most qualified candidate tosave our great country."(Release, 3/5/10)

(CNSNews.com) - Conservative leaders and members of Congress largely expressed outrage Friday that the Air Force had blacklisted Family Research Council President Tony Perkins from speaking at Andrews Air Force Base because of his position on the military policy on homosexuality.

As CNSNews.com reported Friday, the Air Force has admitted the chaplain's office at Andrews retracted an invitation to him to speak at the prayer luncheon held there on Feb. 25 because of the views that Perkins had expressed.

Andrews is the home base for Air Force One, the designation for the airplane that carries the president when he travels.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNSNews.com that he’s “disappointed” the Air Force would “un-invite” Perkins because of his positions.

“These actions are out of line with the caution that the heads of the military branches have expressed with regards to this policy,” Inhofe said.

“Each one of them has indicated that it would be best for the Pentagon to finish its review before addressing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a manner that disrupts readiness and recruitment. I wonder if Tony Perkins would have received the same treatment if his views on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell had matched those of President Obama.”Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, was outraged.

“I think many members (of Congress) are outraged,” Kingston told CNSNews.com. “The mainstream media hasn’t given this as much coverage as they would if they agreed with Perkins. This is something that I think that people will be asking a lot of questions--a harbinger of what may be out there to come, you know, if on a high-profile captain like Tony Perkins, they reject him. They may (start) doing it to everybody else."

Kingston said he thought the Air Force was "using" the incident to send a message to its own chaplains about what thhey could and could not say from the pulpit.

“(W)hat they were doing is using him to drive a message--that your brand of sermon is no longer welcome in the U.S. military,” he said.

He added: “I think it probably does go beyond the Air Force. They knew there would be a backlash to this, and I think they had a design about that: ‘OK, you know, we want other (chaplains) to understand and pipe down on your personal views on this biblical view, and you believe it, just keep it mellow; we want watered-down messages.’”

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said he would be looking into the incident more deeply.“I hold Tony Perkins in the highest regard, as do pro-family Americans across this country,” Pence said. “And I would hope that the change in the speaking roster had nothing to do with his stated positions on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But we’ll be making appropriate inquiries,” Pence said.

Conservative leaders like Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center (the parent organization of CNSNews.com), said it was “truly frightening” that Perkins, a former Marine officer and minister, had been “thrown off a military base, in effect, for expressing his Christian views.”

“This is beyond political correctness,” Bozell told CNSNews.com. “This is flat-out political censorship taking place. And I would wish that the White House would not only condemn it, but flat-out reverse this policy.”Bozell said Rep. Kingston was correct that Perkins won’t be the only conservative to be censored for his views.

“Today, it’s Tony Perkins. Tomorrow, who is it? Is there someone who says something offensive to the Obama administration and the will of Congress and is told he can’t speak there? Is there somebody who says something that is unacceptable to the Obama administration so he can’t speak at the university?

“My God, this is fascism. This is not America. This is not the country that I grew up in. This is not the kind of ‘change we can believe in.’

Bozell said it is no surprise that the story was not being covered by the mainstream news media.

“This is the kind of story the national news media will love to ignore because it speaks to the ugly underbelly of the Obama machine, of the Chicago mafia,” Bozell said. “This is the Chicago mafia at play. And the national news media will do everything in its power not to report this story. But it will get out through the new media. The American people will learn about it.

Other conservative leaders expressed similar concerns.

Ron Robinson, president of Young Americans for Freedom, told CNSNews.com the exclusion of a major conservative figure like Perkins on the basis of his views was a "sad reflection on the political correctness in today’s military.”

“Perkins’ position is the one that historically was true through almost the 200 years of American military history. It’s said that the Obama administration is trying to censor people that disagree with them," Robinson said.

“We see this administration give lip service to some support of military personnel, but in fact, it just seems to want to push a radical left-wing agenda, and I think that seeps down through the ranks,” he added.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, called it a “chilling indication of how military brass are already operating--pressuring those who agree with the current law on homosexuals in the military to be silent.”

Wright added: “Navy Admiral Mullins told reporters that not a single member of the military has raised the issue since he told Congress that homosexuals should serve openly. This letter provides insight into why the troops may be silent. We are a country directed by the rule of law, not a monarchy. Obama's views do not trump the law. When there is a conflict, the military should follow the law, not Obama's opinion."Precursor to Zero Tolerance

For conservative publisher Alfred Regnery the incident shows evidence the military is being politicized.

"Tony Perkins is a national leader of considerable stature who rightfully takes positions on such things as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,’" Regnery told CnsNews.com. "Since when are people in the military so sensitive that they cannot listen to things they may disagree with? And I'd be surprised if most of them don't agree with Tony anyway."

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, called the incident a “cautionary tale” – a taste of what will happen if the law is changed to remove the military ban on homosexuality in the armed services.

“What strikes me about this story, is how clearly it demonstrates how the culture of the military can be used by the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) left to accomplish its goals,” Donnelly told CNSNews.com.

“In this case, the Air Force chaplain who meant well in sending the letter that he sent to Tony Perkins, was carrying out what he thought was the expectation of the administration--that from here on in we would have sexual minorities accepted in the military. The letter seems to suggest that the law--the LGBT law--has already been passed, legislation to repeal current law regarding homosexuals in the military.

“For (the chaplain) to send a letter like this, though, which is so far ahead of any expectation, is useful to us in the current debate because it shows how the concept of zero tolerance would work."

Donnelly said that any time the military implements a policy “in the name of civil rights,” it also implements a “Zero Tolerance” policy.

“That means that anyone who disagrees would be subject to career penalties, and would thereby be dismissed from the military,” she said. “In this case, when the Air Force chaplain said, ‘Well, we can’t have Tony Perkins come and speak because he does not support the issue of gays in the military,’ that was a demonstration of how it would work if the new law is passed and there are number of chaplains and people of faith who have the same view that Tony Perkins does.

"This kind of deliberate, organized discrimination, and silencing of disagreement is exactly what would happen on a large scale if the LGBT law (eliminating the military ban on homosexuality) is written,” Donnelly added.

Meanwhile, former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer--a previous president of the Family Research Council--said he, too, is outraged but he is not surprised at the incident.

“I would have been surprised if I heard that Tony had been invited and actually got to speak,” Bauer, currently president of American Values, told CNSNews.com.

What happened to Perkins sparks feelings of déjà vu for Bauer.

“Back in the ‘90s, when I was heading FRC, I was ‘disinvited’ to a Coast Guard prayer luncheon, for similar reasons,” Bauer said. "I got this invitation, was surprised to get it, accepted and everything was going fine, and then a number, as I recall, of gay rights groups and separation of church and state groups spoke up and--I think--a member of Congress that was on the committee that dealt with Coast Guard appropriations also got involved.

"The theme was the same: that I held ‘unacceptable views.’ ”

At that time, Bauer said, another liberal Democrat was in the White House--Bill Clinton.

“When Washington is in the hands of people who most aggressively accuse others of intolerance, they almost always attempt to limit the free speech of those that disagree with them, on the right,” Bauer said.The term "political correctness," Bauer said, doesn’t do it justice.

“Even the term is politically correct,” Bauer said. “What it is is a concerted effort to either force people to observe the unwritten liberal rules on what you can and can't believe or to face the prospect of being silenced if you won’t do that.”

About Me

Servant General of the F.L.A. (Franciscan Lay Apostolate); Hermitage Scullion; Former Radio Talk Show Host; Writer; Public Speaker; Former Staff Member of United States Senator Dan Coats; Retired Infantry Major: served with U.S. Army Intelligence in Vietnam and Europe; Wife: Karen (married 42 years), 5 children, 8 grandchildren ...
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